50 Years of Fame: Top 20 TV ads

The Cinzano series of commercials created an unlikely partnership in
Rising Damp star Leonard Rossiter and actress Joan Collins. In
'Airliner' we saw the stars aboard an aircraft in which a bumbling
Rossiter accidentally pushes the seat recline button of the prudish
Melissa (Collins) as she is about to sip her drink. Perfectly timed and
skillfully written, the not-quite-slapstick mocked the 'sensationalised'
drink commercials of other brands aimed at a younger generation. It was
Rossiter who suggested to director Alan Parker the idea of using the old
music-hall joke of spilling one's tea - the premise of each of the 10
commercials. He was regularly involved in the choreography and gag
lines, often referring to Joan as 'the prop'. By 1981, the ads had
become so popular there were rumours of a feature film. But the campaign
ended in 1983 when Cinzano decided to take a global marketing route. The
mini-films were comedy classics and just as entertaining, if not more
so, than the programmes around which they appeared. However, the story
goes that sales of rival brand Martini soared as viewers presumed it was
the drink being promoted.

2. SMASH MARTIANS 1974

The Smash Martians landed in 1974 in one of the most successful
advertising campaigns of all time. Featuring a gaggle of giggling
mechanical men in space-age suits who wondered at the old-fashioned
mashing methods of potato-eating earthlings, the ad was perfect for the
space-crazed climate of the 70s. Cadbury originally rejected the idea
cooked up by writer Chris Wilkins in favour of something more profound
concerning instant mashed potato. However, it wasn't long before the
metallic laughter of the bunch of ETs whipped up a wealth of consumer
delight. The commercial became so popular that a whole Martian series
was created. Mr and Mrs Smash and family were introduced, complete with
pet cat and dog. Cadbury's profits soared as Smash became market leader,
and ad agency Brooks Fulford Coutts Seresin was inundated with fan mail.
The Martians made comebacks in 1992 and 1999, still advising the 'most
primitive people' that 'For mash get Smash'.

3. GUINNESS SURFER 1999

Jonathan Glazer's black-and-white masterpiece is one of the most
breathtaking commercial images ever to grace British TV screens. Four
Polynesian surfers confront the ultimate wave, embodied by a pack of
giant white horses surging over the crest, in a stunning synthesis of
liquid and muscular motion. Only one man conquers the wave and, as the
bassline of Leftfield's Phat Planet dies out, the final moments are
silent. The thunderous rush of hooves, flesh and spray was created from
footage of surfers in Hawaii and Lipizzaner Stallions from the Spanish
Riding School in Vienna. Cineon, high-tech digital software by Kodak,
was used to composite the material and computer graphics added surf and
the odd horse's leg where needed. It was 119.5 seconds of artistic
brilliance - supposedly the length of time it takes to pour a pint of
Guinness and let it settle. Remember: 'Good things come to those who
wait.'

4. HAMLET PHOTO BOOTH 1986

A photo booth, a bald man and a cigar called Hamlet. This sequence plays
on the old joke that the photo flash always goes off when you're not
ready, and we see Gregor Fisher mistime every shot. As Bach's Air on a
G-string kicks in, as the flash goes off for the final time the Baldy
Man exhales his cigar smoke. Inspired by an incident when copywriter Tim
Warner and art director Roy Carruthers lit up on a bus after waiting in
the rain, the series ran until the early 90s.

5. ELECTRICITY ASSOCIATION CREATURE COMFORTS 1990

Spawned from the Oscar-winning short film of the same title, the
'Creature comforts' ads were the work of animator Nick Park. A cast of
his trademark plasticine animals discussed the benefits of the
Electricity Board's service in a fusion of the everyday and the absurd.
Who can forget the parrot whose central heating made it possible for him
to live in England? Deadpan humour and Park's attention to detail
enchanted viewers of all ages. A piece of marketing magic.

6. LEVI'S LAUNDERETTE 1985

Levi's Launderette marked the beginning of a new era in youth
advertising. Aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds, the ad was part of a
50s-style campaign by Bartle Bogle Hegarty to boost a flagging jeans
market. First broadcast on Boxing Day 1985, the 50s' American scene saw
model Nick Kamen undress to the sound of Heard it Through the Grapevine,
then wait, in white boxers, for his 501s to wash. Consumers lapped up
the retro imagery and Levi's sales rocketed 800%.

7. YELLOW PAGES JR HARTLEY 1983

Yellow Pages is used 3.3m times a day in the UK. Previously promoted as
a business directory, Abbott Mead Vickers' two ads in 1983 featured
fictional author JR Hartley, played by Norman Lumsden. In the first, an
old man combed through Yellow Pages searching for a shop that sold a
fly-fishing novel by an unknown author. Warm and engaging, the ad proved
a hit. In 1991, the book Fly-Fishing by JR Hartley, by angler Peter
Lapsley, became a bestseller.

8. HONDA GRRR 2004

Bunnies, flowers and a song about hate - not your average car ad. Yet
Honda's 2004 'Grrr' campaign to promote its first diesel engine was a
huge success. Spawned by Wieden & Kennedy, the 90-second animation
featured a group of rabbits celebrating Honda's diesel engine to the
slightly gruff crooning of Garrison Keillor. Honda has sold 90,000 cars
in the UK so far in 2005 - its best-ever performance - and 'Grrr' took
top honours at Cannes this year.

9. COCA-COLA HILLTOP 1971

Voted the greatest-ever song from a TV ad by Channel 4 viewers, the New
Seekers' soundtrack to Coca-Cola's ad was a marketing masterpiece.
Recorded as a radio commercial for Coke in the US in 1970, the smash-hit
used a multicultural cast on a hilltop near Rome who mimed 'I'd like to
buy the world a Coke'. The execution brought an end to the outdated
marketing jingles of the 60s and 70s and set a trend for the use of pop
music in contemporary advertising.

10. JOHN SMITH'S PETER KAY - DIVING 2002

Created by TBWA\London as part of John Smith's 'No nonsense' ad
strategy, 'Diving' saw Peter Kay impress judges at a diving competition
with a 'top bombing' plunge. The comedian admitted to being terrified
about performing the stunt, yet his big splash helped win 50 advertising
and marketing awards for the company. The ads, aimed at men in their 20s
and 30s, promoted a 'no-nonsense ale for a no-nonsense bloke'.